Woodcliff Lake grapples with whether or not to have police department accredited

By Lianna Albrizio

Staff Writer |

Pascack Valley Community Life

To become accredited or not to become accredited? This is a decision the Woodcliff Lake Police Department has grappled with for years. But with Mayor Jeffrey Goldsmith strongly in favor of moving forward with the process, which helps to establish best practices in police departments, the town could get the ball rolling as soon as this year.

At a discussion of the process at the April 7 mayor and council meeting, Goldsmith said he favors law enforcement accreditation as it is "strongly endorsed" by Bergen County Sheriff Michael Saudino. Councilman Eric Bloom, who was also for moving forward, said he appreciated the benefits of accreditation.

Councilman Robert Rosenblatt, who is the police liaison, spoke out against the move, saying that approaching the department now was the "worst" time given that the borough is currently negotiating a new contract with the PBA.

Departments seeking accreditation are assessed by the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police. All aspects of the police department are examined, including policies, planning and equipment, to establish best practices.

According to Borough Risk Manager Frank Covelli, the benefits of becoming an accredited law enforcement agency include helping the department run more smoothly and providing protection against frivolous lawsuits. Covelli added that the Joint Insurance Fund (JIF) is pushing for police departments in the county to become accredited, certification for which must be renewed every three years.

Currently, seven municipalities in Bergen County are accredited with 10 pending, Covelli said. In the Pascack Valley, Montvale and Park Ridge are working toward accreditation while Westwood recently renewed its accreditation.

Typically an 18-month process, JIF will lend participating boroughs $25,000 to get the process started and police forces must dedicate one ranking officer to the task. Police Chief Anthony Jannicelli, who will speak at the April 22 council meeting about his position on the issue, said that while he's not against certification, time and money was a concern.

"[It's] not a bad thing," he explained. "Getting there is difficult."

The chief said manpower hours and maintenance costs were concerns, and considering the three-year renewal, he pondered if it was even worth the time, money and effort.

"If I thought this way a great idea, I would have done it 12 years ago," he said, adding that achieving accreditation is not high on his priority list, as he would prefer to invest the money in patrol vehicles and equipment.

Woodcliff Lake grapples with whether or not to have police department accredited

By Lianna Albrizio

Staff Writer |

Pascack Valley Community Life

To become accredited or not to become accredited? This is a decision the Woodcliff Lake Police Department has grappled with for years. But with Mayor Jeffrey Goldsmith strongly in favor of moving forward with the process, which helps to establish best practices in police departments, the town could get the ball rolling as soon as this year.

At a discussion of the process at the April 7 mayor and council meeting, Goldsmith said he favors law enforcement accreditation as it is "strongly endorsed" by Bergen County Sheriff Michael Saudino. Councilman Eric Bloom, who was also for moving forward, said he appreciated the benefits of accreditation.

Councilman Robert Rosenblatt, who is the police liaison, spoke out against the move, saying that approaching the department now was the "worst" time given that the borough is currently negotiating a new contract with the PBA.

Departments seeking accreditation are assessed by the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police. All aspects of the police department are examined, including policies, planning and equipment, to establish best practices.

According to Borough Risk Manager Frank Covelli, the benefits of becoming an accredited law enforcement agency include helping the department run more smoothly and providing protection against frivolous lawsuits. Covelli added that the Joint Insurance Fund (JIF) is pushing for police departments in the county to become accredited, certification for which must be renewed every three years.

Currently, seven municipalities in Bergen County are accredited with 10 pending, Covelli said. In the Pascack Valley, Montvale and Park Ridge are working toward accreditation while Westwood recently renewed its accreditation.

Typically an 18-month process, JIF will lend participating boroughs $25,000 to get the process started and police forces must dedicate one ranking officer to the task. Police Chief Anthony Jannicelli, who will speak at the April 22 council meeting about his position on the issue, said that while he's not against certification, time and money was a concern.

"[It's] not a bad thing," he explained. "Getting there is difficult."

The chief said manpower hours and maintenance costs were concerns, and considering the three-year renewal, he pondered if it was even worth the time, money and effort.

"If I thought this way a great idea, I would have done it 12 years ago," he said, adding that achieving accreditation is not high on his priority list, as he would prefer to invest the money in patrol vehicles and equipment.